Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven joined Celtic when they might have been better spreading their wings a bit |
As an Arab,
seeing Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven hightail it out of Tannadice with unseemly haste was
bad enough. That their destination was Celtic Park made it an even more bitter
pill to swallow. Personally, what made that outcome about as painful as it
could be was my assumption, erroneous or not, that both had ambitions beyond Scotland , perhaps even on the continent. But like so many before them, they chose only to move eighty miles west.
So why Celtic? Why (still) Scotland ? I doubt that either player would have difficulty adapting to a career abroad. They have the technique to flourish at a higher grade; indeed, I’d argue both are more suited to the sort of football played in Germany , Spain , or Portugal . Their erstwhile teammate Ryan Gauld has shown that a gifted Scottish player need not feel inferior at that level. GMS has already been out of Scotland once - he went down to Liverpool as a youngster, all the way from Thurso. So, he’s used to living away from home, in a place where the natives speak a very strange language!
Twenty-five years or more ago, staying in Scotland would have made sense. But the world is a much smaller
place now. What’s stopping young Scottish (and, indeed, British) footballers from wanting to
test themselves in a completely different environment? Of course, the easy
option of staying in Scotland
is still a pretty good one for these guys – more money, a greater chance of medals, and automatic
selection in the next Scotland
squad. And the one after that. And the one after...you get the picture. But surely they can't all feel the same? Don't any of them want to improve their game and look
at their profession though a completely altered prism? They could enjoy a different
lifestyle, learn a new language, live in a country where the weather is
conducive to training outside twice a day, all year round. They could even play on half-decent grass pitches.
I doubt it's related to education; I don’t subscribe to the “most
footballers are thick as mince” view. They may not have the academic
qualifications due to their career, but they will probably mirror society as a
whole. Armstrong is obviously an intelligent, sensible young man with his head screwed on, as he's sitting a law degree in his spare time! I’m sure that if many had their horizons broadened, they would have no
problem adapting. I’m loathe to use Ryan Gauld as an example, as his story is
so unique, but nevertheless there must be more that can do what he has done so
successfully.
Personally, if I
was a twenty year old in a first team SPFL squad, I’d have my agent checking
out options all over as my contract wound down. It might not be Sporting
Lisbon, but who knows? You’re out of your comfort zone, but isn’t that the
challenge? After all, the Scottish people have traditionally exerted a
disproportionate influence globally due to their ability to rise to such a
challenge over the centuries.
The central European Slavic countries, whose domestic leagues are surely not dissimilar to ours in quality, similarly
produce countless young footballers who perform at the highest levels across all
European leagues. The result of this is when Scotland
play teams like Montenegro ,
they often have one or two players who are playing for top Italian or German
teams. We , by way of
contrast, can boast a couple of West Bromwich Albion players, if we're lucky.
Perhaps the lack of any foreign ambitions in the average Scottish
professional simply down to the fact they lack the economic hunger to succeed?
After all, life in a Scottish town or city is far removed from a Macedonian village. That should certainly explain some of the
reluctance to become an economic migrant, but all of it? What about the Icelanders
or Scandinavians? They’re hardly escaping lives of poverty.
There are a
couple of final points to make. Firstly, I am in no way denigrating the game in
Scotland .
On the contrary, I see rising standards, good young players breaking through, a
welcome emphasis on coaching and youth development, with the concomitant
investment in infrastructure. But it would surely benefit the national team to have two or three in the squad thoroughly imbued with a different approach to the game.
Secondly, I
could justifiably be accused of overlaying a twenty-something footballer’s life
with my middle-class and middle-aged sensibilities. A few hours’ training under
a clear blue sky, followed by an evening sampling the manzanilla and tapas in
the local bars of a Spanish city – what’s not to like? Fair enough, but
nevertheless, I still believe is it shocking that there is only one quality
Scottish player playing abroad (I don’t count Jack Harper, as he is Spanish to
all intents and purposes) in this day and age.
In summary, my
message to young Scottish professionals; be Ryan Gauld, not Barry Ferguson.
Peter Clark saw Dundee United win the league at Dens in 1983. His wife suspects everything since has been a bit disappointing.
Peter Clark saw Dundee United win the league at Dens in 1983. His wife suspects everything since has been a bit disappointing.
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